4. Bio- Diesel：An Alternative Fuel That Has Many Benefits
By Greg Flakus
Carl’s Comer, Texas
19 July 2005
The United States is a big country and people burn a lot of air-polluting fuel moving themselves and their products around.
But here at Carl’s Corner truck stop, drivers of big, diesel consuming trucks can follow the of country music star and Texas native Willie nelson and fill up their tanks with clean burning fuel made from soy beans grown right here in America’s heartland.
Joseph Jobe, executive director of the national Biodiesel board says,“This is the first truck stop in the United States to offer bio-diesel blend to truckers… and they are very enthusiastic, they are very excited about it and they coming from all over the country to get it.”
Truck driver Michael Powell is making the long haul down to the Mexican border at Laredo and he wants to do it all with this fuel, if possible.” I got to go down to Laredo and unload and reload. If I find it down yonder, I’m going to get it and, if not, I will come back here and get it.”
Other truckers are equally enthusiastic about using a fuel that reduces carbon dioxide emissions up to 80 percent and helps engines run smoother.
“I think it is a great thing for the environment, it is great for the country, I just think it is an all-around great thing.”
“I just noticed when I got out of my truck that the idle on it was perfectly smooth. You can notice it just in the sound of the engine.”
Farmers are big supporters of this fuel because, as Joseph Jobe notes, they can grow the product.” Bio-diesel is something that can be made from any natural oil, vegetable oil or animal fat, and it is refined by reacting it with an alcohol to remove the glycerin and the remaining compound acts shemically similar to diesel fuel in a diesel engine. It can be used in pure form or blended at any level.”
The man who runs the Bio- Willie Company is Peter bell, a South African native who teamed up with Willie Nelson less than a year ago.
He says more people will use bio-diesel as it becomes more available in the United states. “ There are 187,000gas stations in America and there are probably only three or four hundred that carry bio- diesel. So it is not easy to get the fuel. We have produced a web site that has a map of our Bio-Willie locations and we will be slowly adding to that map as more and more retailer come on with our brand.”
One great advantage of bio-fuel is that it can be easily transported and stored using existing infrastructure. Although it is unlikely to replace oil as a major fuel, even a five percent displacement would benefit the environment and reduce dependence on foreign oil imports.
“If you can put farmers to work, growing more soybeans to make bio-fuel, instead of relying on overseas people, I am all for it,” a trucker said.
注解：
１. heartland ['hA:tlEnd] n. 心臟地區，中心地帶
２. enthusiastic [in ; Tju:zi 'Qstik] adj. 熱心的，熱情的
３. emission[i 'miSEn] n. （光、熱等的）散發，發射，噴射
４. compound['kOmpEnd] n. 混合物，[化]化合物
５. biofuel [baiEu 'fju: El] n. 生物燃料(指曾經為活質的燃料，如煤)
